Are we being taken advantage of?

Gordonia

Hi

Not sure if this is the right forum for my query.

Basically I'm currently a student and had a 9 month lease in a rented house aimed at post-graduates. The rent for the 9 months was more than what many others are paying in the area. Anyway, the lease ends at the end of May and anyone staying for the summer pays a much reduced monthly rate.

I need to stay an extra 2 weeks to finish my exams. The landlord says that because this is just 'an extension' to the current contract and I am not staying for the whole summer, I will be charged at a day rate. The problem is, this means I pay more for those 2 weeks than the other tenants pay per month for the summer!

The landlord says the others are staying longer so get a reduced rate (but there is no guarantee they'll stay for the full 3 months since all our contracts end next week).

Is the landlord being unnecessarily stingy? Is there anything I can do? I don't want to move out so close to my exams? I feel like I'm being screwed over here. I've been a good tenant...why do they have to milk me for everything I've got?!

christmas2012

sounds like he wants more dosh

Gordonia

Well, clearly! But what would you do? I know he's not doing anything illegal here, but it is pretty mean-spirited!

edellc

tiz stingy is a b&b cheaper for the two weeks

christmas2012

dont put up with that crap from your landlord and stay somewhere cheaper if you can

Gordonia

I would love to move out, out of principle but it's also a bad time with the exams coming up and don't need the extra stress (he obviously knows this).

If he really wanted extra dosh, he could rent the 4 empty rooms for the summer, but obviously this is too much hassle (he hasn't even advertised them).

Also, he's making each tenant pay 15 euro for a cleaner to clean the place when we leave ('because we're all leaving at different times'), even though he also expects us to clean the place from top to bottom before we go. He just wants it both ways.

I've a feeling it's a matter of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I doubt a B&B would be cheaper this time of the year. There are other student houses nearby that are a lot cheaper, but I'd rather not have the stress of moving to a new place at the busiest time of the year...

edellc

well if you dont want the stress of moving then really there is nothing you can do but have a moan on here and grin and bare it and feel sick when handing over the money

also if your handing out 15euro for the cleaner then dont clean the house from top to bottom just leave your room clean...are you the last one out if not then what can you do if you do clean the kitchen etc then they will only get used by whoever is left and there goes your cleaning, so leave your room clean and the rest let the cleaner take care of